The Coach's Skill Stack

I've been pondering what is actually essential for coaches to make more money, sign more clients, and grow their business.

Because honestly, there's so much fluff being thrown out there, it can be distracting (at best) or detrimental (at worst) to develop skills you don't even need, or to MISS skills you actually need.

What Coaches Actually Need

The 20,000 foot view first, then we'll dive into the nitty gritty.

1. A desire to help.

I know that seems cliche or cheesy, but it's true. Coaches who are only interested in money or who want the riches to come quickly will be sorely disappointed... but the coaches who have a desire to help or to share their knowledge with others are the people who usually are able to stick through the tough learning curve in the industry. 

A desire to help also gives you an important advantage-- it typically revolves around a specific topic or topics that you feel like you can share about. Think of this like a niche if you want, or just a general direction for how to create content.

Which leads to...

2. A way to add relevant value to people they can help.

This is where Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, podcasts, or email lists come into play.

Can you build a word of mouth coaching business without any digital tools?

Sure.

But if you want things to go smoother and faster... digital leverage is your friend.

It's important to remember that while there's a learning curve for every new skill you learn, social media is no different when you make the shift from consumer to creator.

So adding value, publishing regularly, clarifying your message... happen over time.

You don't just wake up one day knowing exactly how to articulate what you do.

You chip away.

Adding value. Getting feedback. Seeing what resonates and what doesn't for the people you're wanting to help.

The best way I've found to add relevant value over a long period of time is to never stop learning.

Read books. Listen to podcasts. Study courses. Get mentorship, coaching, and training yourself.... you'll never run out of content ideas.

3. A way to collect payment

Again this might seem obvious, but if you have a way to actually collect payment... your mindset changes. You feel open for business, You have possibilities flowing. And it's an energetic signal that you're ready to make money. I use Kajabi and SamCart, but when I got started I just used PayPal. 

4. A way to serve people for free.

This goes beyond social media or an email list...

I like to think of these as free experiences for people to "try out" what it's like to work with you.

A consultation.

A free coaching experience.

A masterclass.

Think something virtual or in person, but LIVE. As in they can actually interact with you in real time.

If you just try to promote your stuff without an experience of working with you, you get stuck in a trap that I learned about from Steve Chandler where people are hearing you talk about the concept of coaching, but not the experience.

The concept of coaching is hard to sell.

But the experience of coaching changes lives.

Whenever possible, I want to share the experience of coaching with me, not the concept. Live, interactive experiences are a great (essential) way to build a coaching business.

5. An offer. Or a few offers.

Personally, I resonate with having a menu available for clients who are ready to work with me. It's why I have a few signature programs-- a group coaching program (The Matrix) a mastermind (The Miraclemind) and private coaching.

It's also why I do free trainings like The Integral Coach training (coming on September 13th) or The Revamp.

I like to create lots of ways people can enter my world, where they can learn more about me, get support, and make progress beyond my free content like my podcast or Instagram.

Having an offer is the bridge between people who like and follow you.... and people who pay you.

Creating and sharing your offers is a way you say "I'm open for business. And if it resonates for you, I'd love to have you join us."

An offer has a promise, a process, a price, and a person it's for. I'm going deep into offer creation in The Integral Coach, so if that interests you, consider joining. It's absolutely free.

6. Persuasion skills.

Think marketing and sales language patterns. Not manipulation.

This isn't really taught in most coaching schools, but it is an essential skill set.

When you're creating one on one clients, this is less important.

But when you're launching, filling groups, or selling one to many programs... the way you write and speak about your offer matters. This is a skill you never stop improving or working on.

Some of my favorite books for your reference:

Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller

Copywriting Secrets by Jim Edwards

Launch by Jeff Walker

And truly... that's it.

A desire to help.

A way to add value.

A way to collect payment.

A way to serve people for free.

An offer(s)

Persuasion skills.

Then you get to work executing all 6.

Sharing value. Inviting people into your free and paid offers. Having conversations with real people. And staying in the game.

Are there specific strategies for all of these? Of course.

But I think trying to figure out ALL the strategies just leads to confusion or inaction.

My simple business plan:

Publish content regularly.

Notice what content lands and which content doesn't.

Publish more content that lands based on feedback.

Include calls to action on my platforms and in my free experiences.

Take care of my clients.

Elevate and refine my offers over time.

Implement what I learn about persuasion in copywriting, messaging, and sales.

This is a constant evolution.

As we get better as coaches, our delivery, systems, and ways of helping improve too.

So the key isn't to get it perfect the first time.

It's to iterate enough until you get it flowing and working for you and your clients.

Stay in the game long enough to see that happen. 

I promise it's worth it.

Amber